The New Learner Is Here To Stay

In my previous post, I examined the largest issues facing college and university presidents across the country. To summarize, the skyrocketing cost of education has caused a decrease in enrollments, which has led to a financial crisis for many schools. In order to combat this, schools are forced to adapt to the new learner, reevaluate how they do business, and react to a changing market landscape. In today’s post, I want to examine the new learner; not only what they are looking for in a school, but also how to best communicate with them and meet their needs.

The cover of the August issue of Consumer Reports reads “I kind of ruined my life by going to college.” This quote, from someone with $152,000 in student loan debt, expresses a sentiment that many college graduates facing insurmountable student loans are feeling. The immense cost of education has made alternative options very appealing for undergraduate and graduate students alike. Non-traditional and online learning lowers the cost of education and provides convenient and flexible options for all students, especially adult learners.

Many learners will continue to seek out the campus life synonymous with attending college, but with the growing popularity of “cyber school” at the high school level, the transition to online learning has become increasingly seamless, even for recent high school graduates. The stigma that was once associated with alternative methods of education is disappearing.

Though it may seem challenging at first, taking traditional programs online is a necessary step to expand your offerings and attract students of all types. Many learners have forgone the traditional learning experience for a streamlined, more affordable education. In order to attract these students, institutions must continually reassess their offerings and how they can modify them to accommodate the schedules of working adults.

The key for colleges and universities is alternatives. Having a variety of options is a powerful differentiator. Businesses across all industries are constantly adjusting to their customers’ needs. Higher education has never had to accommodate their customer to this extent, until now. A good way to begin this process, is to form a relationship with an Online Program Management (OPM) Partner.

In many ways, a relationship with an OPM partner is a perfect marriage for many colleges and universities. OPM Partners bring the expertise in the online field that colleges and universities don’t have the resources to focus on, presently. In order to get ahead of competitors, institutions can take advantage of an OPM Partner’s experience in overcoming obstacles, streamlining processes, and taking traditional programs into the online landscape.

For more information about how an OPM Partner can help place your institution on the cutting edge of education, contact Jim Hunter at jimhunter@emergeedu.com or (717) 214-1631.

GERARD P. O’SULLIVAN, Ph.D. serves as Emerge Education’s Senior VP for Accreditation and Compliance. Dr. O’Sullivan holds a Ph.D. from The University of Pennsylvania, a master’s degree from Vanderbilt University and the baccalaureate degree, summa, from Fordham University. He is also a graduate of Harvard University’s Institute for Educational Management. For almost thirty years, Dr. O’Sullivan has served independent higher education in roles of increasing responsibility, from faculty member and program director through Dean, Vice President for Academic Affairs, and then Provost. Dr. O’Sullivan has published articles in Change: The Magazine of Higher Education, Dean & Provost, Thought and elsewhere.

Dr. O’Sullivan is a reviewer for The Journal of Catholic Education and The Journal of Catholic Higher Education and he was a charter member of the team which developed the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities’ CIMA rubrics and evaluation instrument (Catholic Identity and Mission Assessment). For the past fifteen years, he has served the Middle States Commission for Higher Education as an evaluation team chair, team member, and Periodic Review Report reader and he has worked with the Pennsylvania Department of Education on several projects related to effective measures of instructional hours, state authorization, and approval of out-of-state IHEs. Dr. O’Sullivan has also written, co-written and directed successful multi-million dollar grants and grant activities from USDE (Title III, Strengthening Institutions Program), The Teagle Foundation, Lumina, and others.

He is a long-standing member of and mentor for the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC). He also assisted members of the Pennsylvania Legislature in drafting model legislation for the Commonwealth’s adoption of SARA, the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement. He is especially interested in strategic preparedness, strategic planning and budgeting, accreditation and compliance.

Robert J. Scott III

Before joining the Emerge Education team, Robert served as an Integrated Marketing Communications Specialist at HACC, Central Pennsylvania’s Community College.

Using a strategic approach, he develops creative that ensures clients resonate with their target audience. Robert creates advertisements and other content for clients across a variety of media. Further, he manages relationships with third-party media and advertising vendors.

Lori McGill Sarago

With a passion for excellence, Lori is committed to seeing her students succeed!

Lori spent 10 years learning how to build a business from the ground up as the Managing Partner of her own food production company. Once the company was running well, she was able to apply those same financial strategies to the field of higher education. She identified a critical lack of financial counseling for students within an overwhelming number of higher education institutions. While finding the right school and program is important, being able to afford that education is imperative. Lori assists her students by advocating effective and affordable programs that aid in the development of practical, long-term strategies that enable each student’s education goals.

Tisa Riley

Tisa manages the administrative functions within the enrollment office, which includes communication strategies and planning. She also maintains Emerge Education’s CRM, client portfolios, data integrity and reporting.

Tisa has 20+ years of experience within higher education. Roles included Director of Records and Registration/Student Services, Director of Enrollment Services, Associate Registrar, Interim Registrar and various other positions within Career and Transfer Services, Admissions, and Counseling.

She is also responsible for the implementation of administrative strategies that aid in the growth of the organization, by ultimately ensuring client enrollment goals are met.

Cindy Pool

Cindy has 4 years of higher education experience. She moved up quickly and held many positions at The Learning House Inc. ranging from Enrollment Counselor, Process Manager, Transcript Process Manager, and Senior Transcript Process Manager.

She single-handedly developed a transcript processing department that embarked on collecting transcripts for 18 partner schools at one time. Her passion has continued here at Emerge Education by creating a transcript processing department. This service assists students in the retrieval of their documents so they can focus more time on other requirements and reach an acceptance decision much more quickly. This service helps our schools reach a higher percentage of completed applications through documents retrieval, which leads to an increased acceptance rates. Cindy will also be spending an important part of her day assisting with student retention.

Kelly Lougee

Kelly Lougee works with our partner institutions to ensure the highest quality experience possible. Her success as an Online Academic Programs Manager is tied to her ability to develop strong professional relationships with key stakeholders and co-workers that produce proven results.

Kelly has 20 years of professional experience in project and account management. For the past 13 years, she worked for a statewide association where she managed training programs for local government officials through contracts with the commonwealth.

Kelly earned her BA in Communications from Elizabethtown College with concentrations in Public Relations and Marketing.

Beth Lewis, MS

Beth draws from over 19 years of higher education experience to help guide students in making sound educational decisions that inevitably lead to career success.

After teaching at the elementary level for a few years, she began her higher education career in 1996 teaching Trigonometry and Calculus.Beth then moved into college administration.She has held positions in various departments, including Director of Education, Director of Career Services, Career Services Advisor, Externship Administrator, Registrar, Continuing Education Coordinator, and most recently Admissions Representative.

Dave Krahling

Dave has several years of student recruitment and advising experience, and is very passionate about assisting students in their educational pursuits.

Dave acquired a BS in Business Management and Ethics from Manhattan Christian College in Manhattan Kansas, where he also worked for 3 years in Student Billing and Accounts Receivable. He is currently finishing a Master’s in Theology from Liberty University Online. Prior to his time at MCC, he worked in several management positions and is a veteran of the US Army.

Elizabeth is passionate about Higher Education and social responsibility, which drives her enthusiasm for assisting Emerge partner in developing sustainable strategies for success. With an MBA and BSBA in marketing, she is well-equipped to facilitate client’s marketing agendas.

Michele Hunter

Michele has over 15 years of industry experience primarily in the fields of fitness/training, insurance and financial services. Before joining Emerge Education in January 2015, Michele spent the previous 13 years as a Premium Insurance Auditor where she excelled at connecting with clients. As an Account Manager Michele generates new leads and partnerships primarily for Emerge’s lead generation services.

Sara Hendrick

Sara has over four years of higher education experience, starting with employment at The Learning House, Inc. She worked with six schools over the course of four years, including Concordia University – St Paul, Point Park University, and King University.

Sara held the roles of enrollment counselor, senior enrollment counselor, and enrollment manager. As an enrollment counselor and senior enrollment counselor, Sara carried an ever-increasing application load, often acting as the only counselor for the client she was working with at the time. During her time as enrollment manager, she led her team to consistently meet and exceed their goals.

Gina Harmon

Before joining the Emerge team, Gina worked in higher education at both StraighterLine and The Learning House.

Gina has worked in online higher education for 6 years. She helped to build the call center for The Learning House Inc., fending the best contact strategies that worked for its schools. She also served as an enrollment councilor for StraighterLine, helping students choose the correct classes they would need to further their degrees, as well as guiding them through the enrollment process.

Blake Halvin

Blake works as a Recruitment Manager and is committed to helping students get started on their educational journey. Blake is responsible for helping students go from interested, to fully enrolled, and ready to start working towards graduation. Prior to joining Emerge Education, Blake worked for four and a half years in higher education, where he worked primarily with active duty military students, ensuring their success until gradation.

Mark L. Hale

With 10 years of sales experience, Mr. Hale is well-versed in creating compelling and emotionally-driven connections with customers. His sales experience has given him a comprehensive understanding of consumer behavior that is directly applicable to his position as Student Recruitment Manager at Emerge Education.

During his 20-year career within the field of higher education, Mr. Hale has transitioned from an Admissions Representative to Director of Admissions. During his tenure, he has been recognized as Director of Admissions of the Year multiple times. He was also a member of the President’s Club and Chairman’s Team. Under his leadership, he has successfully guided an admissions team through 26 consecutive starts, meeting and exceeding enrollment goals.

Bill Gutshall

Bill Gutshall has compiled nearly 27 years of higher education experience as an instructor, academic department director, and Director of Career Services.

Bill has assisted thousands of students with their course planning, interpersonal communications and writing skills, and professional development. His dual approach to graduate services involved continual community outreach and partnership building with employers coupled with delivering intensive group and individual career-­readiness instruction to students. While directing General Education for the past six years, Bill has written, introduced, mapped, and assessed curriculum, directed faculty development and effectiveness, launched student integrity initiatives, and counseled and advised students daily.

Ashley’s varied successes as a writer, speaker, performer, artist, tutor, and salesperson, ensure that our game-based training programs provide the most unique experience possible for children and adults. Her innate knack for strategy games and problem solving make her the perfect fit to bring gamification to life here at Emerge Education.

Kimberly M. Eames

Kimberly was a teacher for many years in the Camp Hill School District. While there she taught many grade levels and worked her way up to head teacher in the district. Kimberly sat on many committees including the Technology Implementation Committee, Professional Development Committee and Curriculum Development Committee. She piloted many programs and led numerous train the teacher events in the district. In 2005, she became a stay-at-home mother to her three children, Owen (16), Caleb (14) and Lilly (12).

Upon returning to the workforce in 2011, she worked for the Mechanicsburg Navy Depot, the US Postal Service, and finally entered higher education with The Learning House Incorporated. Kimberly worked her way from Enrollment Counselor, to Senior Enrollment Counselor to Enrollment Manager in a short period of time with the company. Kimberly has worked Concordia University, Saint Paul, and was manager of Lesley University in Cambridge MA. While working CSP, Kimberly had one of the largest application loads for TLH. Lesley University’s online programs had a 69% increase with Kimberly at the helm.

She has a great ability to connect to students, follow-up with them and dedicate herself to the growth of higher educational institutions under her care. She is very excited to be part of such great opportunities here at Emerge Education LLC and we welcome her to the team!

Dr. William B. Drake, Jr.

During his 11-year term as President of Midway College, a small private liberal arts school in Kentucky, William B. Drake, Jr. accomplished significant results, including a tripled enrollment and endowment, a masters level change with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), and expanded the campus while adding no long-term debt.

With the help of his resourceful spirit of leadership, the college recorded the greatest enrollment growth in its history and expanded its mission in serving more students in need of a special, nurturing environment. Prior to leading Midway College to significant growth, Dr. Drake served as the Vice President for Development at two institutions and was directly responsible for raising in excess of 100 million dollars over a ten-year period.

Dr. Drake currently serves as the Senior Vice President for Accreditation with Emerge Education. He provides a unique set of services to ensure that institutions meet reaffirmation guidelines or deliberatively move off of probation or warning statuses with SACS. Additionally, Dr. Drake serves as a Trustee of Sweet Briar College in Virginia, where he provides significant leadership to the board and administration.

He is a Member of the Registry of College and University Presidents and served as a Trustee for the Commission on Colleges, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (2009-2012). He served on over 25 SACSCOC Committees and 15 National Accreditation Committees and was a member of the Executive Committee of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics and the Women’s College Coalition.

Daniel DiMeglio

With over 7 years Higher Education experience, Daniel knows what it takes to meet and exceed enrollment goals.

Before joining Emerge Education in October 2015, Daniel served as an Admissions Advisor/High School Presenter, Assistant Director of Admissions, Director of Admissions and Campus Director. Daniel is dedicated to helping students excel by effectively matching them with programs that enhance their career goals.As a Student Recruitment Manager Daniel focuses on connecting and engaging with students to boost enrollment goals for Emerge’s partner institutions.

Jose Del Pielago

Jose has 8 years of higher education experience as a Director of Admissions and Director of Career services and 5 years in the pharmaceutical industry as a corporate trainer/senior executive representative. He now uses that experience to help and develop potential students make wise decisions about their education.

Toby Burris, Esq.

Toby has over seven years of experience in higher education student recruitment. Before joining Emerge Toby was a Director of Admissions, Associate Director of Admissions, Lead Admissions Coordinator, High School Presenter, Marketing Manager, and a Foster Parent Recruiter. He is also a licensed attorney.

Taylor Brock

Before joining the Emerge Education team, Taylor was the Senior Digital Advertising Specialist at the Reynolds and Reynolds Company.

Taylor executes Emerge Education’s digital marketing efforts including paid search and social media marketing with the goal of maximizing lead generation and student applications. Taylor works with clients in order to develop and execute an effective digital marketing strategy. He is an avid sports fan and loves to be outdoors.

Dr. Eric Spangenberg

Dr. Eric Spangenberg is in his first year as Dean of the Paul Merage School of Business at the University of California, Irvine. He previously served nine years as Dean of the Carson College of Business at Washington State University.

Dean Spangenbergs’s expertise in, and commitment to online program delivery led to the Carson College being recognized in US News & World Report as the number 1 program for 2013 in online graduate business education; these programs were also recognized in 2013 as number 1 with regard to serving active military personnel and veterans. Similarly, his commitment to internationalization of the Carson College resulted in rankings over the last several years consistently in the top 20 in international business in US News & World Report. The Carson College has also been ranked for several other research accomplishments.

An award winning teacher and world-renowned researcher, Dr Spangenberg earned a Ph.D. in marketing, with an emphasis in social psychology, from the University of Washington in 1990. He maintains an active research agenda and is committed to graduate education, serving as chair or dissertation committee member for several Ph.D. students across several disciplines; he has also remained globally active as a graduate mentor and instructor while serving as dean. Dr. Spangenberg’s research interests include psychometrics, social influence, and environmental psychology. He is particularly well-known for his work on the effects of olfactory and musical cues in the retail environment as well as for the effects of self-prediction on people’s future behaviors. His research has been published in the field’s top journals including the Journal of Marketing, the Journal of Marketing Research, the Journal of Consumer Research, the Journal of Consumer Psychology, the Journal of Retailing, and the Journal of Applied Psychology. His work has been cited in the Times, the Economist, Fast Company, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, and on BBC, CBS, Yahoo News, Salon, and Boing, as well as numerous other international print, television, and online media outlets. He has also been consulted as an expert in online education by many of the same sorts of publications.

Dr. Spangenberg led the Carson College in several record years of fundraising, recently nearing completion of their campaign goal of $75 million in support of advancing the college’s vision of transforming student lives while positively impacting business and academic communities around the globe.

Michael Murchie

Michael S. Murchie is a Senior Vice President for M&T Bank Corporation and responsible for M&T’s Commercial Specialty Businesses which includes bank wide responsibility for the following businesses: Investment Banking; Asset Based Finance; Commercial Equipment Finance; Healthcare; Not for Profit; Government Banking; Financial Institutions; National; International Trade Finance and Private Equity. In addition, Michael is a member of many committees at M&T including the bank’s Senior Loan Committee, Maryland Manager’s Loan Committee and Executive Sponsor of the Relationship Enhancement Committee.

Prior to Michael’s current role, he was a Regional President for over ten years for M&T Bank leading M&T Bank’s Pennsylvania’s Community Banking initiative in the Central and Western regions (which includes Harrisburg, Carlisle, Chambersburg, Altoona and Pittsburgh), and also directing Commercial Banking operations in those regions.

Furthermore, Mike had oversight responsibilities for M&T’s Community Banking and Commercial Banking efforts in its Northern Pennsylvania Region (which includes State College, Williamsport, Wilkes- Barre, Scranton and Pottsville)

Mike received a Bachelor’s of Arts from Williams College, cum laude and a Master’s of Business Administration with a concentration in Finance from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business.

He began his banking career with M&T Bank in Buffalo, N.Y. in 1991 as a commercial real estate lender. He relocated to Portland, Oregon in 1996 to launch M&T Bank’s commercial real estate operation in the Pacific Northwest. While in Oregon, he became a founding member of the Portland Affordable Housing Trust.

In 2001, Mike relocated to Harrisburg, Pa to lead the Commercial Real Estate Lending team in Pennsylvania. In 2002, he became President of the Southern Pennsylvania region (now known as the Central and Western Pennsylvania region).

David Desfor

David L. Desfor serves as Treasurer and Corporate Secretary of Hersha Hospitality Trust(NYSE: HT) and has been a principal partner of the Hersha Group since 1991. The Hersha Group is comprised of affiliated businesses surrounding the construction, ownership, and management of hotel properties.

Mr. Desfor is comptroller of the Hersha Group of Companies. In this role, he is responsible for managing the corporate treasury and overseeing financial reporting for the company. He has been involved in the hospitality industry since 1982. Prior to joining Hersha, Mr. Desfor co-founded and served as President of a management company whose concentration was focused on conference centers and full-service hotels. Mr. Desfor has served, and continues to serve, as a board member for various community service organizations. These affiliations include The Whitaker Center, Channels Food Rescue, and Harrisburg Academy. Along with his business Partners at Hersha Group, philanthropy is one of his passions. David earned his undergraduate degree from East Stroudsburg University in Hotel Administration.

Ed Balsavage

Mr. Balsavage currently holds the position of CEO at Advantage Engineers which is an engineering consulting firm specializing in telecommunications and geotechnical engineering. As founder of the firm, he has developed and led a management team and directed the firm to annual sales of over $20 million with 5 regional offices serving the mid-Atlantic region. Advantage has been recognized in multiple trade publications as a leader in the industry and recognized in 2013 in the top 100 fastest growing engineering firms in the US.

Mr. Balsavage holds a BSCE from Pennsylvania State University and is a licensed professional engineer in Maryland, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. He is a member grade of the American Society of Civil Engineers and Geotechnical Institute. He is a member of the Pennsylvania Society of Professional Engineers and has served on the board of directors for this organization.

Tim Prusha, MBA

Tim has 14 years of experience within marketing departments at various higher education institutions, primarily within the online education space.

Tim drives the marketing, lead generation, social media and website strategies for Emerge Education and their partner institutions. His 14 years of higher education marketing experience have led to him being recognized as an expert within the online higher education marketing space. He specializes in the utilization of search engine management (SEM) and website strategy to generate high-quality leads in order to hit lead targets.

Mike Price has 20 years at the administration level within higher education. He now uses his enrollment management experience to help schools grow revenue through enrollment growth.

Mike oversees all enrollment activities including recruiting and marketing plans, lead generation, sales training, admissions, and retention. He has over 17 years of enrollment management experience in both the non-profit and for-profit higher education sectors. Mike’s former roles include VP of Enrollment Management at Crown College and Regional Vice President of Enrollment and Marketing for Career Education Corporation.

Scott works in collaboration with our clients and our own knowledgeable teams to design and implement successful partnerships.

He draws from 25-years of broad professional experience, including his work with Embanet and Embanet-Compass Knowledge Group, where he developed a solid reputation for building strong client relationships. Most recently, he was responsible for synchronizing technology assets and people resources at Pearson Education in pursuit of large scale, enterprise-wide partnerships.

Prior to his career in higher education, Scott served as a lead executive at a pre-eminent statewide association, where he was responsible for every aspect of administration and management from budgeting, personnel and policy matters to new project development and public relations. Scott earned his BA from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and MPA (ABT) from Pennsylvania State University.

Jim has 20 years of experience at the administration level within higher education institutions. He now uses that experience to help connect higher ed institutions with solutions that allow them to move from surviving to thriving.

Oversees activities related to the business development of Emerge Education and the academic strategy for Emerge’s partner institutions. Held roles as the VP of External Relations, Academic Dean and Director of Online Enrollment at Crown College (MN). Currently serves as a Business Development Consultant at Mission Advancement as well as a J Center Affiliate at the University of Minnesota. Click here to read Jim’s dissertation.

Kristin provides comprehensive high-level support to the President, the Board of Directors and our business partners.

Kristin oversees the day-to-day operations of Emerge Education. She has over 15 years of experience in sales and management, specializing in customer service, communications and sales. Kristin recently earned a degree in Sonography from South Hills School of Business and Technology.

Irene has more than 15 years of experience in public and private accounting at the executive level within the corporate structure.

Her diverse background includes experience in corporate tax, internal controls, GAAP and SOX compliance, and a solid business acumen. Irene will be part of the executive team at Emerge Education, providing expertise and guidance in the areas of finance, reporting, and internal controls. She has prior Board experience as an advisor, tax analyst, and Human Resource generalist for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Bath/Brunswick, Maine, and held a non-voting seat on the Board of Directors as the Chair of the Supervisory Committee at Atlantic Regional Federal Credit Union, Brunswick, Maine.

As an Information Systems Consultant to Emerge Education, Shawn Boksan formulates technology visions and incorporates them as technological developments.

Shawn sets the standards for technological development at Emerge by implementing and managing organizational information systems, software applications and IT support and infrastructure systems. He also directs IT plans, schedules, policies and programs for data processing, network communication, business operations, computer services and management. Shawn has a varied background in project management, IT and marketing/graphic design and has worked in all capacities during his career. He owned a successful IT consulting business providing solutions and support to small and mid-size organizations in Pennsylvania.

Shawn served in the US Army as a Special Forces Communications Operator from 1990-1996 in various worldwide locations achieving an honorable discharge. He resides in Seven Valleys, Pennsylvania with his wife, Courtney and their four children.

Kim leads the business development and growth strategies for Emerge. His professional tenure includes a wealth of experience in higher education.

As the former Executive VP for Strategic Partnerships for Comcourse and Executive VP for Business Development at Embanet Corporation, he directed sales and business development activities and was responsible for the day-to-day management of regional sales directors, developed and implemented a corporate sales strategy, increased the sales and business development pipeline, and guided the sales presentation and proposal processes.

Earlier in his career, he served as the president of the Educational Resources Group (ERG) that was part of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. The group’s mission was to provide lifelong learning opportunities and meet the educational needs of place-bound learners, under-served communities, non-traditional students, and rural Pennsylvanians.

Kim’s other leadership successes have come in state government, finance, consultation and business development.

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Ever feel like you are just throwing good money after bad when it comes to recruiting online students? This paper describes effective strategies that can be implemented immediately to help you hit your enrollment targets.